australian military ' s experiences in the vietnam war . in 1973 , the secretary of the department of defence , arthur tang ##e , submitted a report to the government that recommended the unification of the separate departments supporting each service into a single department and the creation of the post of chief of the defence force staff . the w ##hit ##lam labor government subsequently amalgamated the five defence ministries ( defence , navy , army , air force , and supply ) into a single department of defence in 1973 , while conscription under the national service scheme was abolished . on 1 january 1976 , the three branches of the australian military were brought together as a unified , all @ - @ volunteer
australian military's experiences in the vietnam war. in 1973, the secretary of the department of defence, arthur tange, submitted a report to the government that recommended the unification of the separate departments supporting each service into a single department and the creation of the post of chief of the defence force staff. the whitlam labor government subsequently amalgamated the five defence ministries ( defence, navy, army, air force, and supply ) into a single department of defence in 1973, while conscription under the national service scheme was abolished. on 1 january 1976, the three branches of the australian military were brought together as a unified, all @ - @ volunteer